A Heart Left Broken, A Mind Unfixed
by Azureflower
Summary: Velvet's back and covered in injuries. But why? Wouldn't ThunderClan like to know... only Velvet's not talking. Can Alderheart get it out of her, and find love along the way? Or will Velvet leave with both old, painful scars and new wounds that aren't as easily healed? Rated T for self-harm. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

Alderheart pawed through the herbs on the gray stone slab in the medicine den. Comfrey, thyme, yarrow, catmint… how could there be so many? He continued sorting, scents clogging his nose and eyes.

A wail sounded from the outside of the den, and it wasn't a voice he recognized, either. He wandered outside, filled with wariness and a little fear. Once he reached the sun-splotched clearing, however, he was shocked by what was in front of him.

It was Velvet, bleeding and stumbling around through the dust.

"Velvet? What's happened? Are you all right? And what are you- you know what, not important, come with me."

Alderheart pushed his shoulder under the fluffy gray she-cat's. She leaned onto him and limped to his den. Cats began to emerge from their dens, looking curious at the racket.

"Alderheart? What's wrong with Velvet? And what's she doing here?"

Sparkpelt, his sister, asked that as she walked up. Her bushy orange pelt was slightly bristled at the sight of the kittypet. "I don't know why she's here, but she's obviously wounded and here for help." he muttered, straining his legs under Velvet's weight. The she-cat whimpered in pain.

"What's wrong? Why is Velvet here?"Bramblestar stormed up, looking more than a little displeased at the interruption to his nap in the warm sun. After all, it was leaf-bare, and days this nice were rare.

Alderheart gritted his teeth. "I. Don't. Know. I'm trying to heal her so I can figure that out." His father sighed. "Do it quickly, then." He turned away and padded back to the flattened grass that was shaped (quite hilariously) like a fat, sleeping cat. Alderheart continued the walk to the medicine den, trying to avoid further distraction.

"Travis… I don't want to play with the mouse toy…" mumbled Velvet, and Alderheart wondered, with a twinge of jealousy, who was...

 _You're a medicine cat,_ he reminded himself. _No mate or kits._ He carried the she-cat inside the den and laid her on the nest of cool moss that Briarlight had formerly owned. Of course, the moss had been changed and the bracken had reformed shape, but it was still Briarlight's nest. "Let me get you some marigold." he mewed, taking care to smooth out the lumps around her head. She moaned in agony as she bled into the moss.

Alderheart poked through the different leaves and berries until he found what he was looking for. "Ah! Here we go!" He chewed up the yellow flower and rubbed it gently into Velvet's various scratches. "Ouch, ow, is it supposed to hurt?!" she yelped, shocked by the pain. "Yes. It means it's working…" he mewed gently as her muscles tensed, then relaxed. He covered the scrapes and bites with cobweb and sat back. "There, you'll heal with time. Now can you tell me what or who did this to you?"

She sucked in her breath, and her eyes closed and opened. Her claws unsheathed and she let out a whimper.

"I… I… it was…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Blahblahblah**

 **Thanks to Azrakatz, my first review for this story...**

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"I… don't want to talk about it…" Velvet whispered, voice panicked and rough.

Alderheart bit back a growl of irritation. Why is this so hard? The fluffy gray cat curled up and dozed off, leaving Alderheart alone with his thoughts.

A few sunrises later, Velvet was on her feet again. With a slight wobble due to a sprain that hadn't quite healed yet, she would constantly be seen wandering about the clearing with a fire in her eyes for which the reason still wasn't clear. Alderheart had tried to get her to tell him. So had Sparkpelt, Ivypool, Sorrelbush, Bramblestar, Lilyheart, and even grumpy Spiderleg. But she wasn't giving anything away, and so one by one, the cats gave up.

One morning, as the sun was painting the sky a vivid red, Alderheart was sent a sign from StarClan.

You must aid the gray storm cloud, for it is breaking apart from the inside.

It didn't take a genius to know what that meant. Alderheart woke up in a sweat, heart pounding. He knew he had to find out what was wrong with Velvet.

Racing out of the den, he headed for the thorny camp entrance. He could scent Velvet's pawsteps, telling him she'd left camp. Paws pounding the mulch, he raced towards the Great Oak-

The gray she-cat was sitting at its roots, bleeding anew, and there was… a fox? The fox was biting and clawing at her, and she was doing nothing, except raising a paw to keep it from her nose, eyes, or areas that could lead to fatality. It was like... she _wanted_ the fox to cause her pain. Like she wanted to suffer, like she needed the hurt.

"No…" Alderheart whispered, and ran back to camp to get help. But he knew it was beyond his control, deep down.

"Bramblestar! There's a fox, and it's attacking Velvet at the Great Oak!" he yowled.

The leader jumped to his paws. "What? I'll send a patrol immediately." The brown tabby tom whipped around and opened his jaws.

"Fernsong! Lionblaze! Whitewing! Icecloud! Go with Alderheart to the Great Oak! There is a vicious fox- there might even be more nearby! Go now!"

The patrol raced out of camp like their tails were aflame. Alderheart ran with them, wondering why Velvet was just letting it happen to her… she could get really hurt!

As they approached the Great Oak, the tang of blood filled Alderheart's nostrils. He screeched to a stop in front of Velvet, and as the rest of the patrol fought off the fox, he and Lionblaze carried her back to camp.

Placing the she-cat back onto the stale moss she had only just left a sunrise ago, she whimpered and wriggled into the dry bracken. "Why did you save me…" She coughed, a few scarlet drops of blood spewing out of her jaws.

"I couldn't just leave you, not after all you've been through." Alderheart said, back to her. He was pawing through the depleted herb stores in search of his elusive poppy seeds. She coughed again, yet more blood dripping out and staining the dust.

Alderheart dug out a tiny seed the width of a whisker and some marigold. But as he turned back to Velvet, he saw something horrifying, something he'd never seen a cat do before.

Velvet was sitting up, blood pouring from her wounds, with her claws pointed at her chest. Before Alderheart could stop her, she drove them inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**tada! This was for a book report sooooo... ye. Please review, I'd really appreciate it! Click a button, type some letters, and voila.**

He raced over, heart pounding. Placing his ear to her chest, he let out a sigh of relief upon realizing she was alive, but barely. _What should I do?!_

Covering her wounds hastily with marigold and cobweb, he ran as fast as he could to the Moonpool. He lay down and lapped at the water. Immediately, he fell into sleep.

He faded into the green trees and blue skies of StarClan, and Velvet was in front of him, pelt shimmering, but she looked like she wasn't quite all there, like leaders looked while they were losing their lives and figments of them came here.

"Why are you here? Just let me die!" Velvet hissed. Her figure was slowly filling in.

"Why would I let you die? Please let me fix this!" he pleaded. Her paws churned the earth beneath her.

"No! I've been abused and hurt and left behind by those who loved me! I am done letting it happen! I am done living!" Her figure gained definition and stars began to sparkle in her fur.

"I'm not going to let you keep feeling this way! Let me help you! Let me bring you back to cats who will appreciate you! Don't do this, Velvet! Please! You have a life, don't take it away…." he yelped, hoping, hoping, hoping she'd listen.

She stilled, and her pelt faded just the slightest bit. Like she was… healing from the inside!

 _That's it!_ Alderheart thought. _She isn't dying from her wounds… she's dying because she's been abused and hurt by cats she thought were friends!_ "You aren't alone." he mewed. His voice began to grow stronger. "You have friends. You have ThunderClan, and you have me. Velvet. We will always stand beside you, and you don't have to be afraid. Don't do this to yourself, Velvet. Please don't die. Stay alive for the cats that value you the most."

Velvet paused, eyes shimmering with grief and apology, with pause and meaning.

Then she visibly relaxed, gaze shining with gratitude; and the rest of her faded away.

A flame-orange tom with leaf-green eyes faded in where Velvet had disappeared. "Well done, Alderheart." he mumured warmly.

"Thank you, Firestar." Alderheart replied, before he awoke on the cold stone of the Moonpool. He ran back to camp, wishing, dreaming...

Alderheart raced into the medicine den…

Where Velvet was just waking up, her wounds gone. He knew StarClan had healed them, just as they healed a leader's, because she had needed it so badly.

"Alderheart." she mewed warmly, her amber gaze fixed on him. An amber gaze that was no longer hurt or angry, he realized.

He breathed in relief, purring as he nuzzled the she-cat.

"Thank goodness."

GLOSSARY

Catmint- Catnip

StarClan- the group of spirit cats the Clans worship

ThunderClan- the forest Clan. One of five, six if you count StarClan. The others are WindClan, SkyClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan. There is also the Tribe of Rushing Water in the mountains, and their spirits, the Tribe of Endless Hunting.

Kittypet- house cat

Twoleg/Upwalker: Human


End file.
